If you wonder what the U.S. would look like if Obama had his way, go to Portland Oregon.\u00a0 It\u2019s a great place to live if you have a trust fund or a government job, but good luck if you\u2019re unemployed and need a paycheck.\u00a0 In 2010 the state raised the income tax on \u201crich\u201d people (you’re rich in in Oregon if you make $125K) to 9.5%, but Democrats want to raise it again to fill yet another budget gap.\u00a0 Downtown Portland is quiet and rather empty; many pedestrians are young and impecunious, working part-time at best\u2014not a few in the city\u2019s numerous strip clubs. \u00a0There are not many tourists (or tourist attractions) and little new construction. You\u2019ll find a few handsome office buildings, but many are owned by the government or by non-profits such as foundations. Downtown\u2019s major growth business is food trucks serving the cuisine of seven continents. A large settlement of homeless people has taken up residence under a bridge.\u00a0 The manager of our hotel said the local economy is \u201cTerrible; it needs an overhaul.\u00a0 We are hiring a lot of over-qualified college graduates.\u201d\u00a0 The middle-aged gentleman who retrieved our car from valet parking at 4:00 AM seemed like he should be working in a bank.<\/p>\n
In Portland it\u2019s fashionable to ride a bicycle or walk around carrying a kayak paddle; the really cool people do both at the same time — usually en route to the Columbia River which, by western standards, is a big and impressive waterway despite eight unsightly bridges. \u00a0Portland is a great city for gardens (but a little depressing for visitors who, like myself, try to garden on the East Coast).\u00a0 Stuff grows bigger in Portland. Much bigger.\u00a0 The Rhododendrons aren\u2019t shrubs but small trees you can walk under, with blooms as big as basketballs.\u00a0 Hostas and other perennials grow into sizeable bushes.\u00a0 And the vegetative variety is extraordinary, ranging from giant conifers to small palm trees.<\/p>\n
From Portland, drive 175 miles north on Interstate 5 to the more capitalistic climes of Seattle, which is in a state with no income tax and unemployment a full 100 bps lower than Oregon.\u00a0 (Washington dodged a billionaire\u2019s bullet in 2010 when it\u00a0 rejected Bill Gates Sr.\u2019s push for an income tax on the \u201crich.\u201d)\u00a0 Seattle is prosperous and growing.\u00a0 Downtown is busy, with lots of new construction.\u00a0 The bar at the Four Season Hotel is packed at happy hour.\u00a0 New bars and clubs are opening up in the semi-hip neighborhood of Belltown. \u00a0Big ferryboats are jammed with commuters coming in from Bainbridge Island, a tony suburb with multiple marinas and a surfeit of cooking, craft, and clothing stores. SAM (the Seattle Art Museum) had a good show of old masters, including a Rembrandt and some excellent Dutch still lifes, on loan from London\u2019s Kenwood House which is undergoing restoration.\u00a0 On Pier 59 the aquarium offers a double feature of sea otters and river otters; the median age of the clientele is about five.<\/p>\n
And Seattle has one of America\u2019s most successful organically grown (in every sense of the term) civic attractions\u2014Pike Place Market, a multi-level labyrinth of shops and stalls selling the abundant bounty of the Northwest: flowers, seafood, fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, cold cuts, pastries, pirogues, smoothies, candy, spices and (my favorite) newspapers. Halibut season had just started when we arrived. There are several good restaurants, including the original Starbucks.\u00a0 Like a well-fed amoeba, the Market is dividing and expanding, swallowing block after block. \u00a0Comparing the two cities, inequality is greater in prosperous Seattle, but you don\u2019t need a trust fund or a government job to avoid sleeping under a bridge.<\/p>\n
Copyright Thomas Doerflinger 2013.\u00a0 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you wonder what the U.S. would look like if Obama had his way, go to Portland Oregon.\u00a0 It\u2019s a great place to live if you have a trust fund or a government job, but good luck if you\u2019re unemployed … Continue reading